Can we just give 10,000 shouts to all of the foster parents? I mean, WOW! You guys are amazing! Consistently giving of yourselves in the most important ways. I’ve always known this was a humbling and noble thing to be a part of from watching others do this, but recently, in the I Am Mother of the Year Facebook group, a mama shared her story with us and I was just absolutely blown away.

A on the left and J on the right!

This afternoon, as we were on our way to South Bend for my oldest biological child’s color guard competition (all 7 of us in the car, with one empty seat) I get a call for a little one in need. I explained I was in a small town about 30 minutes from home and on my way to South Bend. I said I was unable to help out today, but I could pick her up tomorrow or worst case, turn around then and get her quickly, depending on the need. She laughs and tells me “She’s in ____.” Literally, a town 10 minutes from where we were, in the county we were in (not our own county we typically foster in). Luckily, I look over, and there is a Walmart right next to us. We stopped in, grabbed a car seat, picked up A (the newest little), and continued on our way and watched Emily’s competition (arriving ahead of the performance). Little A settled right in like she had known us forever. It’s never a dull moment in this life of mine, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this story since she posted it a few weeks ago. Here’s what strikes me the most about this, which are lessons for all of us whether we foster or not.

Make Yourself Available: This is so hard to do as we are running around our own lives, keeping ourselves and our families together. This is a challenge to me to lift my eyes out of my own life and be on the lookout for ways I can practically love and encourage others.

Welcome the Interruption: Loving those around us means opening ourselves and our schedules up to interruption. That’s so hard to do because as busy moms, our schedules are kind of what keep us relatively sane! But it is so worth it when we choose relationships over our to-do lists, inside and outside of our homes.

Watch God Work: If you’re making yourself available and welcoming interruptions into your life, then God will most certainly bring opportunities to show love and compassion your way. He needs His work to get done, and if you’re looking and asking for ways to get in the game, He’s going to show up in the unexpected. Like on your way to a color guard competition, you’ll suddenly be 10 minutes away from a little girl in need and 1 minute away from a Walmart, with one extra seat in your car. I mean, YES! That was not coincidence!

I truly believe if we can focus on the 3 things above, our lives will be so full and rich. We will know love in a such a real way that we’re then able to keep giving of ourselves.

What’s one thing you can do today to make sure you’re looking around for ways to love your kids better, your spouse better, or your neighbor better? Share your stories in the comments or email me! I’d love to hear from you! And in case no one else tells you today, you’re a really great mom!